"Time and Family"

January 28, 2020 | By Chuck

I’ll begin by expressing my sorrow for the tragedy that occurred last Sunday when nine lives were lost in a helicopter crash in California. My heart hurts for every family who lost a loved one in that incident. I realize that tragedies just like this happen every single day and many of them we hear nothing about. I don’t write this to take away from any other devastating event or from the other individuals who were on board that helicopter. This particular tragedy has garnered an incredible amount of attention because a global superstar perished in the accident. I don’t think anyone is trying to overlook the others who perished. I think so many are simply trying to process the tragedy and their own grief of losing a hero they grew up watching.
I have two thoughts I want to share about this. First of all, when something like this happens we should all be reminded that this life is short. Those on the helicopter were on their way to a basketball game and in a matter of minutes their lives came to an end. We live like we’ll live to be 100 years old. This life is not only temporary but it is so short. “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes”(James 4:14). James compares life to a mist that is literally here one minute and gone the next.
Secondly, I’m a big enough sports fan to be aware of Kobe’s honors and accomplishments on the basketball court. I know about his 5 NBA championships, 18 all-star games, scoring titles and an M.V.P. award or two, just to name a few. I suppose that’s how most people will remember Kobe, but not me. When I think about Kobe Bryant, I think of him as a husband and father, a family man. Some years back his marriage suffered significant trauma and at that point, we expect a high profile Hollywood couple to divorce and share custody of the kids. Kobe and his wife worked through their problems and apparently made their family a priority by staying together. To me, the success that Kobe experienced with his family is what made him a true champion.
Men and women, I encourage you to be champions for your family. Time may not be on your side, so make your family a priority while you can. Cherish your family, spend time with your family and work through the difficult times by clinging to your family. “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband”(Eph.5:33).